Barley Brown’s Brewpub

From my last post you know I visited Barley Brown’s Brewpub this weekend, and already posted some notes on the beer sampler. Now I’ve had time to write up a more complete review.

(Quick correction to my last post, as well: the Hot Blonde I sampled turned out not to be the Hot Blonde at all; it was in fact the Shredder’s Wheat, and in fact the “infected” character I attributed to it was due to the tap lines not being cleaned properly before the keg was hooked up.)

Located in historic Baker City, Oregon, the brewpub occupies a charming corner location in the heart of downtown. The brick-clad building used to be a bakery and has the “historic” look down, both on the outside and the inside.

I love the ceiling tiles (finish? facade? not sure what you’d call it) in the picture above; that’s the long main restaurant portion of the pub, with booths lining the left hand side and on the right the fermentation tanks on display behind glass. Of course what photo essay of a brewery would be complete without a shot of the stainless:

In the back they have extra bags of malt stacked up against the walls, with dining tables interspersed. I thought this was a really neat touch, the sign of a working brewery I suppose.

The bar itself is a full bar, with several TVs mounted to the corners and an authentic dartboard in one corner. We sat in the bar area at the table closest to the door, with the table actually half in and half out of the bar, so the kids could sit at the “half out” side. Both days we visited (we had drinks only on Friday, and then had dinner Saturday) the service was very friendly, helpful, and prompt.

I didn’t order the sampler again, though at $4.25 I was tempted to! Instead I scored one of their beers “from the back” (ie, not on the regular tap line up): Chaos, which is a Double IPA version of their Turmoil Black IPA. In fact, I had two, because our friend Kina—who we were actually in Baker City to visit–ordered one also but got called away to work, alas, leaving me the arduous task of drinking her beer.

“Arduous” indeed! Chaos is a dark, very hoppy, strong and “hot” elixir of an ale served up in a snifter-style goblet. I don’t know the alcohol content, but if I had to guess I’d say around 9.5% by volume, maybe. It was pretty tasty, but you need to be a bit of a hophead.

Dinner was very, very good. Aside from the standard brewpub fare you’ll find, I had something highly unusual (for Oregon, and especially for Baker City!): the “Shrimp and Alligator Mad Pasta.”

Forget any preconceived notions, this was amazingly delicious. Perfectly-cooked pasta mixed with generous portions of shrimp, alligator, tomato, and green pepper and topped with savory shredded Parmesan cheese. It was a huge portion too, you definitely will not walk away hungry.

Overall, Barley Brown’s is a must-visit beer destination if you’re anywhere nearby in Eastern Oregon. They’re open six days a week (closed Sunday), from 4pm until 10pm.